Iraqi forces vow response to alleged U.S. strikes in Syria

PanARMENIAN.Net - Iraq’s Kata’eb Hezbollah has vowed to respond to the alleged U.S. airstrikes that killed at least 22 Iraqi paramilitary fighters in southeast Syria this week, Al-Masdar News reports.

“The crime of targeting the resistance bases will lead to continued fight against the Zionist regime and the US project,” the group’s statement read, as released by Al-Mayadeen News Agency.

Kata’eb Hezbollah said that the purpose of the alleged U.S. airstrikes was to prolong the war against the Islamic State (ISIS) and other terrorist groups in Syria and Iraq.

“We will find the real identity of the culprits behind the airstrikes in the next few days and will adopt a position proper to the crimes,” the statement continued.

Meanwhile, in a similar statement, the Asa’eb Ahl Al-Haq forces condemned the alleged U.S. airstrikes on the Iraqi paramilitary forces, stressing that it was hindering the fight against terrorism in the region..

“Targeting a base in which the Iraqi forces were deployed as they are fully and legally fighting against the Islamic State in Syria means support for the terrorist groups. The site that came under attack is still prone to infiltration by terrorists in Iraq and is a threat to our national security,” the statement released by Al-Mayadeen said.

Asa’eb Ahl Al-Haq added that this is not the first time that the U.S. forces have targeted Hashd Al-Sha’abi (Popular Mobilization Units) in their war against the terrorist forces in both Iraq and Syria.

“This is not the first attack against Hashd al-Sha’abi and is aimed at weakening the Iraqi forces against the Takfiri organizations,” it added.